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    <title>Express Game Maker - Tutorials</title>
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        <h2>
            Maps</h2>
        <p>
            Maps are essential to your games. A map contains the game's environment and events.</p>
        <p>
            In order to <b>create a map</b>, first click on the
            <img src="mapsBtn.PNG" width="38" height="48" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
            button.</p>
        <p>
            Next, click the
            <img src="addMapBtn.PNG" width="28" height="25" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
            button to add a new map. Enter the map's name and click OK.</p>
        <p>
            Once the map is created you can modify its settings from its menu</p>
        <ul>
            <li>
                <img src="mapSizeBtn.PNG" width="22" height="25" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
                <b>Resize</b> the map.</li>
            <li>
                <img src="mapGridSizeBtn.PNG" width="22" height="20" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
                <b>Resize</b> the map's <b>grid</b>.</li>
            <li>
                <img src="mapGravityBtn.PNG" width="21" height="22" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
                Change the map's <b>gravity</b>.</li>
            <li>
                <img src="mapEffectsBtn.PNG" width="20" height="20" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
                <b>Add effects</b> such as background music and screen tint.</li>
            <li>
                <img src="mapDimLayersBtn.PNG" width="25" height="24" alt="" title="" border="0"
                    align="" />
                Toggles the opacity of seperate layers, useful for general mapping.</li>
            <li>
                <img src="mapShowGridBtn.PNG" width="18" height="20" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
                Shows the map's grid which can be an useful visual aid.</li>
            <li>
                <img src="mapSnaptoGridBtn.PNG" width="21" height="23" alt="" title="" border="0"
                    align="" />
                Snaps tiles to a grid. Useful for tile based mapping.</li>
        </ul>
        <p>
            In order to <b>draw your map</b>, you'll need a tileset ready. If you don't know
            how to make a tileset, check out the previous "Tilesets" tutorial.</p>
        <p>
            Once you create your tileset, <b>select</b> your tile from <b>Tiles</b> explorer.
            Make sure
            <img src="mapPencilBtn.PNG" width="18" height="21" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
            is checked and eraser
            <img src="mapEraserBtn.PNG" width="20" height="24" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
            is not checked. Click on the map to <b>place</b> your tile. If "Snap to Grid"
            <img src="mapSnaptoGridBtn.PNG" width="21" height="23" alt="" title="" border="0"
                align="" />
            is on, you can click and drag your mouse to <b>paint</b>.</p>
        <p>
            A map can have <b>unlimited layers</b>. Layers can be used differently for different
            genres. For example, in a platformer game, everything you can interact with is usually
            on the top most layer, the rest is scenery. In an RPG game, layers are usually used
            to show tiles above or below player.</p>
        <p>
            You can only<b> edit </b>the layer that is <b>selected</b>. If you have a tile or
            an event that is on the previous layer, you must select the previous layer and then
            select the tile.</p>
        <p>
            To <b>edit</b> your tiles' <b>rotation, scaling and opacity</b>, you'll need to
            select
            <img src="mapCursorBtn.PNG" width="20" height="23" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />.
            Double click the tile to bring up the tile settings dialog. <b>Note:</b> If the
            event view
            <img src="mapEventBtn.PNG" width="20" height="26" alt="" title="" border="0" align="" />
            is checked, then you can <b>only edit</b> events.&#39;</p>
        <p>
            When mapping for top-down RPG maps, there are some <b>guides</b> you should
            follow:</p>
        </li>
        <ol>
            <li>
                    Setup your layers.
                <ol>
                    <li>
                            To keep it basic, set two layers for below events, one event layer, and two above
                            layers.
                    </li>
                    <li>
                            In non-grid mode, you can layer tiles on top of each other in a single layer.
                            Useful for adding detail.</li>
                </ol>
            </li>
            <li>Design your map.
                <ol>
                    <li>Consider collision sizes, passages and walkways.</li>
                    <li>Do not place collidable objects on pathways such as rocks. Placing things like 
                        wells, trees and similar large objects for architecture is fine.</li>
                    <li>Consider what needs to be always above events when mapping. If you make a 
                        mistake, go to cursor mode, right click and either move the tile down or up a 
                        layer.</li>
                </ol>
            </li>
            <li>Test your map and correct any problems with layering or collision.</li>
            <li>Add extra details, the little things do count.</li>
            <li>
                <p>
                    Test again to make sure everything is where it&#39;s suppose to be and in its correct
                    layers.</p>
            </li>
        </ol>
        <p>
            To learn about Events, check out the next tutorial.
        </p>
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